“Optimistic” is the word that Kyle Mazurek, the vice president of government affairs for the Ann Arbor Chamber of Commerce, uses to describe the feelings most Ann Arbor business owners have about governor-elect Rick Snyder taking office on Jan. 1.

“We are doing everything we can to support him,” Mazurek said. “We want to see him succeed, and we want to see the state succeed.”

Business owners throughout the city say they’re excited for Snyder to take office because they anticipate his business experience and potential tax policies could draw new businesses to the area and boost Ann Arbor’s economy.

“The bottom line for everybody is getting Michigan moving in the right direction,” Mazurek said.

However, Mazurek said he isn’t sure if Snyder’s promises on the campaign trail will come to fruition during his term.

“We are at a point in time where he is coming off the election cycle and campaign and starting to fully flesh out some of the ideas he talked about in a broad sense during the campaign,” he said.

One of Snyder’s ideas is to eliminate the current corporate business income tax and replace it with a new six-percent flat corporate income tax. The tax would exclude some small businesses and reduce business taxes by about $1.5 billion.

Mazurek said this proposed policy is one of the reasons people in the business community voted for Snyder.

Though Snyder’s ideas to stimulate the economy are currently conceptual, Mazurek said Snyder has a plan to create a more efficient government so that citizens get “more bang for (their) taxpayer dollar.”

He added that Snyder’s lack of political experience helped him win votes.

“A lot of folks, especially in the business community, thought it was time to get someone from the business community a shot at the governor’s office,” Mazurek said.

Ann Arbor business owners echoed Mazurek’s sentiment. Karl Couyoumjian, president of TeL Systems in Ann Arbor, which makes audio and video equipment, said it’s time someone in the business realm leads the state.

“Rick understands what’s entailed in starting a business, running a business and the challenges we are all faced with, especially in the economic climate,” said Couyoumjian, who is also the chair of the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Regional Chamber Board of Directors.

Couyoumjian said Michigan would benefit if Snyder runs the state in the same ways he’s managed his businesses. Before running for governor, Snyder was chairman of the board for computer giant Gateway and president of venture capital firm Avalon Investments, Inc.

“He is approaching his governorship as he has done with many of his businesses,” he said. “He had a plan, assembled a great team, he ran a great campaign and as governor (will do) the same thing.”

Couyoumjian said Snyder’s honest and forward-thinking attitude makes him the best choice for governor.